Buffing compound



Patented June 24, 1941 BUFFING COMPOUND Robert V. Twyning, Grand Rapids,Mich, assignor to J. C. Miller Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., acorporation of Michigan No Drawing. Application February 27, 1939,

Serial No. 258,734

5 Claims. (Cl. 51-305) This invention relates to buffing compounds sucha are used in practice upon the outer surfaces of fabric bufling and.polishing wheels.

- Such bufling compounds include essentially an abrasive and a bindertherefor. Heretofore in order to get suitable properties and qualitiesfor the binder it has been common to use several ingredients, rangingmany times as high as six ingredients, though the average compositionhas had three or four of such ingredients. The melting temperature ofthe binder is one factor which must be taken into consideration, theeasy removal or cleaning of the bufiing composition from the surface ofthe buffed work is another important factor. And of course commerciallyan important and controlling factor is the cost of materials.

glycerides have been removed. The distillation v r is made at a hightemperature with the use of dry super-heated steam, but the residuewhich heretofore in many cases ha been largely a waste product, thoughmeltable at a temperature less than the temperature of the super-heatedsteam used, does not evaporate and volatize as 'do the stearic acid andglycerides.

The stearin pitch which I have found most suitable for the binder andbufling compounds,

.in its composition has a total of 73% fatty acids of which 14.6% arefree fatty acids. The unsaponiflable material varies between 5 and 10%though I have had samples of the stearin pitch thus derived from.hydrogenation and distillation of animal fats wherein the unsaponifiablecontent was less than 2%. The very highamount of saponifiable materialis of valu in the operatlon of cleaning or removing from the fabric ofthe buffing wheels, using an alkaline cleaning solution, which combineswith the saponifiable material to produce soap which is not only easilywashed away but itself is a cleanser.

The melting point 'of the stearin pitch thus produced is relatively highand the most melting point preferred is approximately 81 or 82 C. Suchmelting point is higher than in binders normally used for bulfingcompositions, in fact it is approximately twice the temperature ofmelting of the present binders. Such high melting point greatlyincreases the efficiency of the bufiing composition and helps againstwear on the buffing wheel. The face of the wheel to which the buffingcomposition is applied is harder and firmer and is plastic, considerablyreducing bufling wear by protecting the fabric and greatly reducing oreliminating threading of the bufing fabric.

The cost of the stearin pitch binder is approximately one-third the costof present binders intended for the same purpose. With the binder theremay be readily mixed the usual abrasive or bufling materials. Tripolisin finely ground or divided state may be thoroughly mixed with thestearin pitch binder when it is in melted form. It is one property orresult of this binding material that the bufiing composition of thestearin pitch binder and. tripolis applied to a buffing wheel is freefrom the undesirable result of "burning" die castings even underexcessive pressures, this being a marked improvement over most of thepresent binders.

The stearin pitch binder is also applicable to all bufilng compositions.It can be used as the sole binder and it can also be added to bindersincluding several ingredients, and dependent upon the quantity ofstearin pitch used which may vary between 15% to of the entire hinder,the melting temperature may be regu lated between somewhat above the.low melting temperature of present binders and the high meltingtemperatures, approximately twice as much, of the tearin pitch. This isof impor-v tance in many cases in connection with different materialswhich are to be buffed and polished and which may be best polished witha binder which is meltable at a particular and specific temperature.

The bufling composition which I have made;

when the binder consists solely of the stearin pitch, will vary betweenratios of abrasive to binder ofapproximately 1.8 parts of abrasive toone of binder a the minimum, and increasing with certain binders to ashigh as six parts of abrasive to one of binder, particularly where thepitch as the residue left or derived from hydrogenation or distillationof animal fats is preferred for the hinder, the pitch residue left fromthe treatment to remove theessential fatty acids from cotton seed oil orother vegetable oils is also available, particularly when mixed with thestearin pitch derived from animal fats. The term stearin pitch is alsoto be considered as inclusive of marine pitch, derived from fish oil,and various other pitches which are derived from. animal orvegetablefats. But the residue left from the distillation of mineral oils, forexample asphaltum pitch or from crude oil distillation are of no utilityand have no application herein.

' stearin pitch as a binder may also be used for a composition forpolishing wheels, in which the composition contains greases and oilsrather than abrasive material. With my invention as high as 80% of thecomposition may consist of stearin pitch, the remaining 20% beinggreases or oils which are intermingled with and held together by thepitch, and the composition will have strength and rigidity so that itcan be formed into suitable sticks to be pressed against the polishingwheel and adhere thereto. The binder, stearin pitch, may be reducedbelow 80% and in some cases as low as 40% of the total composition. Butin the event that the pitch used is very greatly reduced or if it isreduced below 40%, the solidity and rigidity which the pitch gives tothe composition must be helped by the use of stearic acid, withconsequent greater cost. But my invention contemplates the production ofbufiing or polishing compounds through the utilization of stearin pitch,either as the sole binding ingredient or the use thereof in varyingquantities with other well-known ingredients now commonly used forbinders.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim. and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A bufiing, compound comprising finely divided abrasive material and abinder therefor of stearin pitch, said pitch being the residue remainingafter the hydrogenation and distillation of animal or vegetable fats toremove stearic acid and glycerides.

2. A bufiing compound comprising finely divided abrasive material and astearin pitch binder which has more than 90% thereof saponifiable.

3. A bufling compound comprising a finely divided abrasive materialadapted for bufiing and polishing operations upon metal or the like, anda binder therefor solid at temperatures well above atmospherictemperatures, said binder including stearin pitch produced as a residueremaining after the hydrogenation and distillation of animal fats orvegetable oils, as specified.

4. A compound of the class described comprising, a binder of stearinpitch and metal bufiing or polishing material incorporated with andbound together by said pitch.

5. A compound of the class described comprising, finely divided abrasivematerial with stearin pitch as a binder and greases and oilsdisseminated therethrough and bound together thereby, for the purposesdescribed.

ROBERT V. TWYNING

